Tech guy needed

[elcheeposax]

Hello to all,

Have enjoyed scouring all the interesting, entertaining and sometimes amusing threads these past few weeks, splendid stuff I must say. However need to know if anyone knows where the best place to go to get my horn checked out, it's well overdue for a service. Ideally fairly local to the Manchester area, any suggestions would be much appreciated.


Cheers to all

 

[compound]

Hi,
The best place is the Woodwind Workshop, situated in Johnny Roadhouse's music shop on Oxford Road Manchester. John Clark's a great tech I've known him for years, you won't go far wrong there.
Rob.

 

[zannad]

Hi,
The best place is the Woodwind Workshop, situated in Johnny Roadhouse's music shop on Oxford Road Manchester. John Clark's a great tech I've known him for years, you won't go far wrong there.
Rob.

I've known that guy for a while...it started ok but recent jobs have been very disappointing - lack of professional approach perhaps (or some other recent personal issues?) - but if I ordered a certain job to be done and then after accepting it the guy changed his mind halfway or stopping it altogether and having to finish the job myself and still being charged the full amount?

No - I can't recommend the Woodwind Workshop anymore.

Going to try the shop in Fallowfield (Alan Gregory) or else...in fact I'd like to know of other technicians in the Manchester area.

 

[Jeanette]

Hi

Welcome to the forum

Sounds Great in Heald Green may be able to help.

I haven't used them myself for a repair/service but I think the father plays sax and they sell a small selection.

May be worth a call

Jx

 

[Chris]

Tony in " Booths Music" in Bolton. Nice guy always worth a call..

Chris

 

[compound]

I've known that guy for a while...it started ok but recent jobs have been very disappointing - lack of professional approach perhaps (or some other recent personal issues?) - but if I ordered a certain job to be done and then after accepting it the guy changed his mind halfway or stopping it altogether and having to finish the job myself and still being charged the full amount?

No - I can't recommend the Woodwind Workshop anymore.

Going to try the shop in Fallowfield (Alan Gregory) or else...in fact I'd like to know of other technicians in the Manchester area.

Hi Zannad,
I'm suprised Johns work is not up to par, maybe like you say he has some personel issues.... who knows? I'm going back to the early nineties when his work was good.

In those days he did a lot of work for well known players, i was in the shop which was then on Tibb Street , when in walked the Alto player from Count Basies Band to buy a mouthpiece and have some work done on his horn. This guy had a huge afro, can't remember his name now but he was the loudest alto player i've ever heard ever! What a great saturday morning that was. Don't know any other tech's i'm afraid.
Regards Rob.

 

[gypsy]

Hello Zannad,

You could also try the Music Box in Hyde. The tech plays the sax himself, and, I believe, in an earlier life he played with Wee Willie Harris. Now there's a name for older folk on the forum to conjure with.

Regards,

Albert

 

[Sue]

http://www.woodwindco.com/index.htm

You could try Eddie Ashton - he's the guy who designed the Super Pads for clarinet and gets decent reviews in CASS magazine. Based in Cadishead

 

[kevgermany]

Send Gladsaxisme a pm, his teacher also does repairs.

 

[zannad]

Hi Zannad,
I'm suprised Johns work is not up to par, maybe like you say he has some personel issues.... who knows? I'm going back to the early nineties when his work was good.

In those days he did a lot of work for well known players, i was in the shop which was then on Tibb Street , when in walked the Alto player from Count Basies Band to buy a mouthpiece and have some work done on his horn. This guy had a huge afro, can't remember his name now but he was the loudest alto player i've ever heard ever! What a great saturday morning that was. Don't know any other tech's i'm afraid.
Regards Rob.

I'm surprised too....I guess is a temporary glitch (nearly 10 months by now?) due to personal problems - still for the last job I paid £190 for having all the key of a Yani T901 tenor sax replaced (as he had another one in store completely trashed but brand new and with most keys intact) - when I went to the shop to collect it I found out there where only 5 new keys?! 3 of these are the top palm key which are easy peasy (anyone could do it) and effectively he replaced only 2 at the bottom of the horn. I have to mention that I myself have dismantled and cleaned my Yani and old keys (so he had only to put the new keys) oh, and I gave him the old keys too...now that isn't just a botched job but a complete insult to his profession. There was a clear verbal agreement - all new keys had to be replaced...then he changed his mind halfway?!

Time to go elsewhere - my 15 odd saxes need better hands....in fact I've also noticed some tiny poke marks (tiny dings) appearing mysteriously here and there in a couple of saxes...something is wrong with his bench I suppose.

 

[zannad]

Wow...I've found 5 new alternatives - thanks you all for that (this is what forums are for).

Sounds Great in Heald Green
Tony in " Booths Music" in Bolton
the Music Box in Hyde
Woodwindco (Cadishead)
Gladsaxisme (Manchester?)

 

[compound]

I had some work done years ago, and when i picked it up it had scratches on the lip of the bell. They looked like ring scratches... very careless! In your case i don't blame you for going elsewhere. Best of luck in future.
Rob.

 

[zannad]

I had some work done years ago, and when i picked it up it had scratches on the lip of the bell. They looked like ring scratches... very careless! In your case i don't blame you for going elsewhere. Best of luck in future.
Rob.

Just consulting this thread once again as I need a good local technician for a neck job ...
As I read your message....I've recently found out that another sax had one poke mark in about the same area of another two saxes I trusted to the man in question....and I've also found out that the pads in my Martin get very sticky (these were supposed to be good quality kangaroo ones? Of course the sax was in the same hands of the same person in question).
Boy, I can see this guy maliciously poking certain saxes on purpose just because he's bitter with the whole world - or maybe is a way of marking them so he could recognize them again?
Sorry for bitching...but the guy deserve this and more...

 

[O.C.V.]

Just to add my 2p worth. I had one of my saxes recently serviced by the person previously named. He claimed to have replaced pads on the top stack. When I got it home it was almost unplayable due to a pad not closing by about 3mm. Fortunately, after a quick look at Stephen Howards book, I was able to sort it myself. Next time it will be a trip to Bradford.
O.C.V.

 

[compound]

zannad, O.C.V,
I've been thinking about this problem and our friend usually has some one working with him, at least he used to every time i went down, so you never know. I also know a very good player who has played most of his life, and he told me that the last service he had there was not good. Certain things he used to do on his horn he couldn't do anymore, he even took it back asking him what he'd done, his reply was nothing. Don't know what happened but i'll be seeing him thursday, and i'll see if he knows any other Tech's.
Rob.

 

[Stephen Howard]

Just to add my 2p worth. I had one of my saxes recently serviced by the person previously named. He claimed to have replaced pads on the top stack. When I got it home it was almost unplayable due to a pad not closing by about 3mm. Fortunately, after a quick look at Stephen Howards book, I was able to sort it myself. Next time it will be a trip to Bradford.
O.C.V.

This might explain the odd few emails I've had from people calling themselves 'Techs', in which I'm roundly berated for 'revealing trade secrets' which have resulted in a 'plague' of customers 'whingeing' about seemingly poor repairs.
They've all been from anonymous hotmail accounts, so I've no idea who they might be.

Regards,

 

[zannad]

zannad, O.C.V,
I've been thinking about this problem and our friend usually has some one working with him, at least he used to every time i went down, so you never know. I also know a very good player who has played most of his life, and he told me that the last service he had there was not good. Certain things he used to do on his horn he couldn't do anymore, he even took it back asking him what he'd done, his reply was nothing. Don't know what happened but i'll be seeing him thursday, and i'll see if he knows any other Tech's.
Rob.

I saw others in his shop but they were just repairing their own instruments...I did it myself once - apparently there is someone working for him but that's only recently...still, there is no excuse for the bad services - he's responsible for any job coming and going from his shop.
If I had something on paper I'd take the guy into court - problem is I've trusted his words and he took advantage - still this thread alone should teach him a lesson...one can take advantage on the short term but that could be very costly on the long term - he's lost some lucrative business from me for sure (15 odd saxes and most of them needing some repairs).

 

[compound]

Hi zannad,
I'll be sure to see this guy i know on thursday, and hopefully he might know of another tech. Rob.

 

[compound]

Saw the sax player and he reckons his service wasn't bad enough to change tech's. I told him about you guy's having problems and he said he'd never known anything like that in all the years he's been going there. As regards other tech's he mentioned Eddie Ashton Cadishead, and the guy in Bradford called McDonald, think that's the guy with the sax shop. Sorry i can't be more help,
By the way how did you go on with the list of Tech's mentioned in the earlier post ?
Rob.

 

[zannad]

Saw the sax player and he reckons his service wasn't bad enough to change tech's. I told him about you guy's having problems and he said he'd never known anything like that in all the years he's been going there. As regards other tech's he mentioned Eddie Ashton Cadishead, and the guy in Bradford called McDonald, think that's the guy with the sax shop. Sorry i can't be more help,
By the way how did you go on with the list of Tech's mentioned in the earlier post ?
Rob.

funny really....did you expect he would recall having cashed about £180 for changing 5 keys and swapping the others with older ones (even if I asked for ALL of them). Such an unreliable greedy twxt...

Beside, the guy at the Alan Gregory shop in Fallowfield has been doing some neat jobs - in another post I've mentioned a problem with a distorted tenon on a vintage Conn - apparently he's built himself a special tool just for that job...it took only about 10 minutes (while I waited) and now the neck fits very snugly - as new! Keen on the result I've trusted him the whole sax for a regulation - this Conn now plays much better all for £45 (total for both jobs) - so, very reasonable prices too. The approach is professional and you know the guy loves his job (unlike the other guy...).